Hen
[hen] or [hɛn]
Definition
(noun.) female of certain aquatic animals e.g. octopus or lobster.
(noun.) adult female bird.
(noun.) adult female chicken.
(noun.) flesh of an older chicken suitable for stewing.
Inputed by Franklin--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) The female of the domestic fowl; also, the female of grouse, pheasants, or any kind of birds; as, the heath hen; the gray hen.
Edited by Leopold
Definition
n. the female of any bird esp. of the domestic fowl.—ns. Hen′bane a coarse annual or biennial herb of the nightshade family poisonous esp. to domestic fowls; Hen′coop a coop or large cage for domestic fowls; Hen′-driv′er Hen′-harr′ier a species of falcon the common harrier.—adj. Hen′-heart′ed timid as a hen: cowardly.—ns. Hen′-house a house coop or shelter for fowls; Hen′-huss′y a man who meddles with women's affairs; Hen′-mould a black spongy soil; Hen′nery a place where fowls are kept.—adj. Hen′ny like a hen feathered.—v.t. Hen′peck of a wife to domineer over her husband.—n. the subjection of a husband to his wife.—adj. Hen′pecked weakly subject to his wife.—ns. Henpeck′ery the state of being henpecked; Hen′-roost a place where poultry roost at night; Hen′wife Hen′-wom′an a woman who has the charge of poultry.
Checker: Phelps
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream of hens, denotes pleasant family reunions with added members. See Chickens.
Typed by Jack
Examples
- In this family several hen birds unite and lay first a few eggs in one nest and then in another; and these are hatched by the males. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- Heron has described how a pied peacock was eminently attractive to all his hen birds. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- But this instinct retained by our chickens has become useless under domestication, for the mother-hen has almost lost by disuse the power of flight. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- But what is the meaning of these head-keepers and hen-pheasants? Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- Mr. Laurence watches over us like a motherly old hen, as Jo says, and Laurie is very kind and neighborly. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- Or could it be that there was a prearranged significance to such phrases as 'fly-paper' and 'hen-pheasant'? Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- Head-keeper Hudson, we believe, has been now told to receive all orders for fly-paper and for preservation of your hen-pheasant's life. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- Snakes act on the same principle which makes the hen ruffle her feathers and expand her wings when a dog approaches her chickens. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- The _lightning rod_ has brought protection to homes and lives, and the _incubator_ has become the hen’s wet nurse. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- A hen that chanced to be inoculated with the weakened virus developed the diseas e, but, after a time, recovered (much as patients after the old-time small pox inoculations). Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- So it is with young pheasants reared in England under a hen. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- He took a small glass bottle about the size of a hen’s egg, the neck of which was two palms long, and as narrow as a straw. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- On this muslin the eggs are placed, in the same position as if laid in a hen’s nest, and it allows the air to pass through to the eggs for ventilation. William K. David. Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians.
- I tried it backwards, but the combination 'life pheasant's hen' was not encouraging. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- Use by taking a small piece--about twice the size of a hen’s egg. William K. David. Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians.
- By-and-by, after an anxious search, his father found him sitting in a nest he had made in the barn, filled with goose-eggs and hens' eggs he had collected, trying to hatch them out. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- Chicks hatched by incubators, if rightly cared for, do better than with hens, and are stronger and more vigorous. William K. David. Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians.
- Hens that had not had chicken cholera could be rendered immune by a series of attenuated inoculations gradually increasing in strength. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- The hens were pecking round it, some chickens were balanced on the drinking trough, wagtails flew away in among trucks, from the water. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- She knew the sequestered spots where the hens laid their eggs. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- He was looking for sage hens. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- HIS breakfast hour was half-past six--and HE went to bed with the cocks and hens! Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
Typed by Larry